5 Counties Worth Visiting in Gold Country – Pt. 1 Sacramento

Thinking of heading to California this summer? Why not check out beautiful Gold Country? It’s now just a quick 90-min direct flight from YVR to Sacramento, thanks to Air Canada‘s new daily non-stop flight. Gold Country is without a doubt one of the most underrated areas of California. It has so much to offer – from its incredible history, to diverse landscapes, excellent wine and culinary experiences, just to name a few.

It was such a privilege to be able to take Air Canada’s inaugural flight to Sacramento!

I recently had the opportunity to explore some of Gold Country‘s most unique counties thanks to Visit California. Today we explore the 1st of 5 counties – Sacramento!

Sacramento

Did you know that Sacramento is the California’s state capital? Located right on the American River, this culturally and historically rich city offers its 500 000 residents and tourists, a plentitude of activities for history buffs, foodies, recreation enthusiasts, coolness seekers and beer drinkers. With more than 2 dozen museums, including the California State Railroad Museum (the biggest railway museum in North America) and the the Crocker Art Museum (which boast most than 18 000 works of art and is a great place for families and events!), the city of Sacramento will not only entertain you but also educate you on some of America’s most important history.

This is part of Cyrus Tilton’s exhibit entitled “The Cycle”. He was awarded the Crocker Art Museum’s inaugural John S. Knudsen prize for his overall body of work last March but sadly passed away before his exhibit was put up in the museum.

In 2019, the city will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad. Sacramento used to be the western terminus of the Pony Express (which was a mail service delivering messages, newspapers, and mail before the telegraph was established in 1861!) and then Transcontinental Railroad. The city used to be the furthest west you could go before reaching San Francisco.

Old Scaramento allows visitors to go back in time and rediscover the 1800’s. Due to serious flooding issues resulting from its proximity to the American River, Old Sac is now approximately 9 feet higher than in the 1800s. As a visitor, you can see some of the city’s remains and really get a feel for what it was like to be in an area that was bustling thanks to the Gold Rush in the 1800s.

Sacramento is a great destination for runners and cyclists because there are tons of beautiful trails to explore. The Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail leaves Old Sacramento and takes you on 32-miles along the American River. There’s also the Folsom Lake Trail than spans 34 miles and the Sacramento Northern Bike Trail, just to name a few. The city is also renown for it’s great running races such as the the CIM (a Boston qualifier event) and the American River Parkway Half Marathon.

I loved discovering cool local neighbourhoods when I travel so was excited to find out about Midtown and Lowbrau, thanks to the Sac Brew Bike tour. One thing visitors will notice is that the city is decorated with an abundance of beautiful street art. Also, the region of Sacramento has more than 60 breweries and used to be the biggest area in the world for hops before prohibition. Thanks to organizations like the Sac Brew Bike, the area is trying to bring back the hops to the city.

The entire Gold Country is renown for it’s farm to fork type-dining, a movement that sources local and fresh produces for its local consumers and restaurants. Many of Sacramento’s restaurants follow this practice, notably Lucca former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s go-to restaurant.

All in all, a visit to Sacramento will not only fill your cup of history but also culture, good food and good times!

For more information on the new Air Canada direct flight between Vancouver and Sacramento, go here. Thanks to Visit California for setting up this trip.